


Three words, Eight letters

by TwilightHayley



Series: NovaHD Collection [1]
Category: The Creatures (Youtube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 19:33:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5552540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightHayley/pseuds/TwilightHayley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aleks creates a Super Mario Maker level, just for James to play. James thinks it’s because he wants to anger him, but Aleks has an entirely different motive in mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three words, Eight letters

**____________________________________________________________**

James can’t believe he is playing this game again – Super Mario Maker, the infamous Nintendo creation that causes him to fly into a rage every single time he plays it. Usually his gameplays end with him collapsing into an exhausted, defeated heap.

For some reason, Aleks has created a level for him. At first, James had refused to play it, knowing how torturous the level would undoubtedly be. Aleks unfortunately understands the components that trigger James’s temper, and James knew it would be a stressful experience, one that he was not willing to endure.

But his Russian boyfriend had cajoled him into attempting the level, with his soft, pleading voice and wandering hands, until James had been forced to agree.

Now he’s sitting in his wrecked office; his controller is on the other side of the room, and his monitor is face-down on his desk. Just as he’d predicted, he’d lost his temper, and he’d taken it out on his technological equipment.

He’s attempted Aleks’s level fifty-two times, and he is nowhere near completion. He can’t even get halfway through it.

He breathes in deeply through his nose as he rises out of his chair, and he begins to make his way towards the office of his cruel partner, determined to confront him.

He doesn’t bother knocking. He flings the door open, startling Aleks, who is seated at his desk, editing.

“Your level is a fucking joke.” James states angrily, standing steadfast in the doorway, a stone pillar of wrath.

Aleks raises one eyebrow at him over his computer monitor, equally annoyed and amused by James’s angry display. “Why?” He asks, reaching up to take off his headphones.

“I’ve tried it fifty times, and I can’t even get halfway through the level.” James says irritably. “You’re such a dick. Why didn’t you include a checkpoint?”

Aleks smirks, tossing his headset onto his desk. “I did.” He replies lightly, leaning back in his chair. “You just need to be good enough to reach it.”

“Fuck you.” The retort is instant, even though James isn’t as angry now. Knowing that there’s a checkpoint in the level has calmed him down a little.

“Maybe later.” Aleks’s reply is just as swift, the playful arguing a familiar aspect of their relationship. “Go and try the level again.”

But not even the lure of a checkpoint can convince James to continue playing the monstrosity. “I nearly broke my computer playing your shitty level. No fucking way.” He says firmly, crossing his arms.

Aleks rolls his eyes, but doesn’t rise to his temper. “James, please try the level again.” He says calmly – which rouses James’s suspicion.

“Why does it matter so much to you?” He asks, narrowing his eyes at him. “Do you enjoy punishing me?”

The corners of Aleks’s lips quirk up into a slight smile. “A little.” He admits, his russet eyes gleaming with vigour. “Look, it took me five hours to make the level, so don’t be an asshole. Play it.”

This is news to James, and he hesitates. “You spent that much time on it?” He asks quietly, touched by the gesture.

Aleks’s face softens. “Yes. I wanted to make it good for you.”

_For you_.

How could James refuse him now? “I’ll try it again.” He says agreeably, backing out of the office. “But it better be worth it.”

He closes the door on Aleks’s warm smile.

**~O~**

The checkpoint changes everything. On his 57th attempt, James unlocks it. He dies instantly afterwards, but he doesn’t react angrily, confident now that he’ll reach the end of the level. The first half had driven him crazy, and he’s relieved he doesn’t have to face it again.

When his deaths reach the three-digit range, the end is in sight.

The 112th attempt brings him in proximity with the finishing flag, and James feels a burst of liberation as he directs his Mario character towards it. He ignores the array of coins in his haste to finish the level, but he never makes it.

He sees two letters on the screen, right at the end, and he stills, his thumb releasing the movement controls.  

O U

He frowns slightly, realising that Aleks has left a message in coins for him.

He is desperate to complete the level, but his curiosity gets the better of him, wanting to know what Aleks has spelt out. So he manoeuvres Mario backwards, taking care not to read the letters as he returns to where the coins start. Slowly, he walks the character forward, revealing a letter at a time.

I

L O V E

James freezes. He doesn’t need to see the rest of the coins. He knows what the last word is.

Y O U

_I love you._

He stares unseeingly at the coins, twinkling away on his screen, overwhelmed by their impact.

He doesn’t give a shit when the timer runs out. Mario is killed onscreen, forcing him back to the halfway checkpoint.

James no longer cares about an official completion. He’d seen what he was supposed to find, the whole purpose of the level in the first place.

Carefully, he places his controller down, and returns to Aleks’s office. This time, he walks into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Aleks glances up in surprise when he sees James approaching him, and he quickly removes his headphones. “Hey. Did you—”

He breaks off abruptly when James grabs the back of his chair to wheel him out from behind his desk, spinning him around so that they’re facing each other.

Aleks tries again. “Did you fin—”

James charges, leaning down to collide their lips together, kissing him fiercely. His hands grip the arms of the chair, keeping Aleks steady as he arches into the kiss, and he leans up to tangle his fingers in James’s hair, fusing them together.

The need to breathe forces them apart moments later, and James reaches up to cup Aleks’s face, resting their foreheads together. “I love you too.” He whispers, stroking Aleks’s skin softly with his fingertips, in complete awe of the man he’s fortunate enough to be with.

“You saw it.” Aleks breathes, stating the obvious, and James smiles fondly.

“I did. It was very romantic.” He says teasingly, and Aleks blushes, a subtle red hue warming his skin. It’s such a rare sight, seeing Aleks so sheepish, and James absolutely loves it; loves him.


End file.
